Ranked #713

Highschool of the Dead

High School of the Dead is about a group of breasts trying to avoid getting eaten by zombies in whatever way possible. Tagging along with these breasts are 2 of our heroes, Kouta and Takashi. A couple pairs of breasts are even in on the action part when they're not bouncing across the screen like jello filled balloons hiding behind incomplete articles of clothing.

But in all seriousness, High School of the Dead has actually been very enjoyable overall. And I'm not a fan of fan service.

Story: Here are some breasts, here are some zombies, and here are 2 guys to enjoy and protect the breasts pretty much sums it up. With a show like this, do you really need a complex plot? Do you watch The Simpsons in the hopes that the characters will change and mature as time goes by? God no. Homer's still an ignoramous (all be it tainted by the Family Guy brand of humour) and Bart's still causing trouble. High School of the Dead operates in a similar fashion. You don't really expect much in terms of character development or plot. You expect a lot of fan service, and some action whilst fighting zombies. HOTD delivers on both. It's the "how" that sets it apart though.

Art: So HOTD is well animated. Just putting that out there. The animation is clear, it's well done, and it's eye-catching. The way they animate action scenes is high quality stuff. And they made sure that boobs would jiggle at every opportunity. So there's a good framerate going, and crisp clean artwork.

Sound: I like to think of the sound section as more than just opening and ending tracks. When we're talking about sound, we're talking about background music, sound bytes and effects, voice casting etc... HOTD has no characters whose voices don't suit them, and the voice acting is well performed. The drone of zombies does it's job. To be honest, I haven't really noticed background music in the episodes during action scenes. I can't tell you if the background music fits well or not, cause there may not be much. But what I can tell you is that what they're doing sound-wise in the show works. Where they choose to put music blends so well you won't be able to distinguish it from the animation. Where there is no music, it adds a suspenseful effect to help bring you the realization that we're in a zombie-infested wasteland of a city. So the sound department is definitely solid.

Character: Here are some boobs, sometimes they show butts too. Honestly, character is underdeveloped in HOTD. We've got a ditzy nurse, an egotistical girl, a somewhat selfish and reliant girl, a strong girl displaying leadership qualities, a macgyver who can work with any scenario, and the male leader. But most of that can be summed up as such. " We have 4 pairs of breasts, one is useful, a Macgyver and a typical male lead. I don't mean to demean it or anything, but the other characters get so bogged down in fan service that you could seriously give them any archetype and the show wouldn't be much different. HOTD revolves around only 3 of the 6 main characters, and the only thing bringing it up from mediocre to fair (5 to 6) is our Macgyver. Kouta is not only epic and awesome in his practical knowledge, he's wonderfully written, funny, and someone our inner otaku can relate to.

Enjoyment: I really, really dislike fan service anime. You have to give me more than some panties and bras to make me want to watch a show. Thankfully, HOTD realized this. There is enough action to make it enjoyable on that aspect alone, but I really feel like Kouta saves the show from being a big flop. He's not the main character, nor is he the most important, but he's there as some comic relief, as well as an integral part of the main cast. You'll find yourself enjoying this show overall, and when you look back, you'll find most of the best parts involved Kouta getting a nosebleed, getting all excited over a weapon, or shooting zombies in the head with a nail gun. That's not to say you can't enjoy anyone else, Kouta just elevates it to be really enjoyable.

Overall: Amidst the incredibly overwhelming fan service, there's a lot of great stuff going on in HOTD. There's good action, there's some small romance, there's comedy, there's suspense and there's the reality of the situation in that the characters portrayed aren't really all that special outside their role in the group. We've got an assembly of people who rely on each other for survival, in a world crawling with danger. And overall, it's a pretty good show.

And a final note: Really, I don't mean to try and simplify a show beyond what it is, but HOTD is already pretty simple. Here are some Zombies, here are some boobs, enjoy. read more

High School Of The Dead is a good anime. The tragedy is that it could have been a *great* anime if not for some horrible mistakes.


Let me explain. The setup is awesome. Zombie apocalypse+ a renegade group of kids + anime? It's pretty much every nerd's wet dream. Unfortunately, the writers decided to focus on the "wet" part much more than the dream.

A lot of people have been debating over HotD's overuse of fan service. Is it justified? I personally don't think so. Here you have a perfectly awesome setup for the apocalypse. People grabbing their guns, moral dilemmas, false messiahs, etc. HotD sets this up in a fairly realistic way and creates an immersive world that terrifies and fascinates the viewer. Then they give you episodes where 90% of the screen time is decided to naked women touching each other. Other episodes are more toned down, but the fan service isn't very subtle and it is very distracting and at times annoying. Shizuka, One of the main characters (who really isn't a character as much as she is a walking-talking fetish provider) has boobs that are literally larger than her head and does absolutely nothing besides acting stupid. She provides absolutely no other value to the show, and one has to wonder how she even gets out of bed in the morning.

Some of the other characters also have the same kind of one demential personality. Then you have characters like Saeko, and Takashi, who end up being dynamic and very interesting to watch. These two characters provide the show character development, constantly walking the line between hero and killer. They are fairly fascinating to watch, especially given that the series never promoted itself as being thought provoking.

The artwork is tough to describe, because while it is a visually impressive show, some of the character designs are incredibly awkward. As I mentioned before, the breast proportions on the female characters are insane. Rei and Saya have very edgy and unattractive hair that makes their characters look a bit cheaper than the rest of the cast. Despite this, most of the illustrations are very beautiful and it's generally top notch animation.

The best way to enjoy HotD is to expect very little from it and just go along for the ride. It has some terrible faults that might really ruin it for a lot of people, but watching the group survive the apocalypse is incredibly entertaining. It's a great mindless anime that is far better than any ecchi I have ever seen. If you are looking for a show with well developed characters and tasteful character interactions, find a different show. I would say that its worth making the exception for HotD though. read more

Heads up for anyone reading this, this is my first review, so forgive me if it may not be as helpful as other reviews. Anyway, to the review!


The first thing that comes to mind about HOTD is "holy shit, this was so much fun to watch!" You REALLY need to watch this with the right mind set, or else you wont get close to as much out of it. The best way to go in watching this, is to not expect a unique story, or good character development, or anything like that. You just need to sit back and let everything happen.


The Sory 4pts: Don't expect anything new from it. It's just your regular zombie story. An infection breaks out enveloping almost all of civilization, and our main characters have to survive.


Art 7pts: While the story is nothing new, the art is actually very good. everything looks very pretty and nice, for a zombie apocalypse.


Characters 3pts: All you need to expect from the characters is that most of them are walking fan service machines. Every female character has massive breasts, and more often than not, their breasts seem to defy gravity. During episode 8, there's one moment that has got to be one of the best parts of the entire series! All I'll say is it involves breasts, a bullet, and slow motion. Though, there is one character who stands out among them, and that is Kouta Hirano, who is the gun freak/expert of the group. Almost every time he's on screen is so much fun to watch, and is by far the most useful character in the series.


Enjoyment 10pts: While HOTD lacks in a lot of areas, it makes up in how god damn fun it is to watch! I never found myself feeling bored by any of the episodes. All of the fight scenes are great fun, and is really what keeps this anime from being total garbage. (aside from Kouta) read more

Highschool of the Dead can be easily summarized in two words; fan service. The show had the potential to do great things, but then the writers decided that they should take the typical zombie script and throw breasts all over it, and they do it an incredibly large amount of times. But did I enjoy the show? I would be a liar if I said I didn't, so let's break down what is H.O.T.D.

Story: 5/10
Initially, the show follows the typical zombie apocalypse genre with your ragtag group of characters thrusted together in order to survive. While the main premise of the show is survival against a man-eating horde, much of this is overshadowed by all of the gravity defying jiggling, awkward low angled shots, and blatant borderline hentai. It's obvious that this show was designed with fan service in mind because both the plot, especially near the end, and the dialogue suffered greatly. Granted, people didn't flock to this show in hopes of a catching story, but simply breasts and zombies.

Art: 9/10
This is where HOTD really shined. The animation was clean and the action sequences made me want to continue watching in hopes of more of the gore and brutality that the previous episode left me. Really, the only thing that is keeping me from giving it a 10/10 is the awkward camera angles. At times, it really took away from what was happening just because they wanted to fit one more shot in.

Sound: 7/10
I didn't really notice much of the soundtrack, not because I was so engrossed in what was going on around the protagonists, but because it wasn't anything spectacular. It wasn't bad and what was noticed helped with the drama and made the action a bit more intense, but there were times where I just didn't realize music was playing. HOTD did have a killer opening theme, as well as, some good ending songs, which were different for each ending.

Character: 6/10
This was probably my least favorite part about the show. While the story was underwhelming, I didn't watch for the story. They took the idea of a ragtag group with varying personalities and decided...well, let me just tell about them. The end of the world brings out someone's true nature, but I think they might have taken a bit too much creative liberty. You have Takashi Kumuro, our main protagonist, who is the leader of the group who finds that the best way to silence someone is to smack them, grab them by the collar, or casually make out with them. Rei Miyamoto is one of Takashi's best friends, but she is essentially Navi from the Legend of Zelda: OoT. Saeko Busujima is a kendo master who essentially believes that the best battle armor is the most seductive battle armor, keeping the female MMORPG armor alive. Saya Takagi, the whiny know-it-all who doesn't do much except boast about how smart she is. Kohta Hirano is a picked on school nerd who happens to turn into a trigger happy psychopath whenever you put a firearm in his hands. And finally, Shizuka Marikawa, who is simply there for fan service.

Enjoyment: 9/10
As the saying goes, "sex sells." I sat down and was brought to the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. Was such and such going to die? How are they going to get out of this mess? The action was great, what more do I need to say?

Overall: 7/10
This show does what it was intended to do. It mixed zombies and fan service and created a decently entertaining show. If you are looking for a serious zombie show with a chilling plot and a stellar cast, turn back now. This is not the show for you. But if you are looking for an action packed show full of jiggles and giggles, well step right up. read more

If there were one word i could use to describe my feeling as i watched Highschool of the Dead, it would be "disappointed".

But why be disappointed? I mean, we've got zombies, boobs, cute girls, and guns all in one anime, what else could we ask for? Well, a lot actually. HSOD is one of those anime that was just kind of "good" that could have been great had it been executed more effectively.

Story - 5. Typical zombie story, nothing new here. It is what it is, you either love it or hate it, and know what to expect going in. I'm giving it an average rating of 5 because it's exactly average. It's nothing new to the zombie mythos, but it's not a bad story either. It's simlpy okay. The first few episodes actually started rather uniquely, and i was enjoying myself more than i had expected. However, as the series progressed, it seemed it became less about the zombie apocolypse around our characters, and more about how they'd rather all be fighting over who gets to wear less clothing and have more sex. And don't get me wrong, i'm not adverse to fan service, but this just got ridiculous.

In fact, there was an episode about half way through the series that was dedicated almost entirely to all of the female characters groping each other while bathing each falling all over the male lead. Mean while the gun otaku sits outside watching the zombies, being the only real member of the group focused on the crisis at hand. And that was only when he wasn't thinking about the girls naked.

That episode is both preceded and followed by what the show would have you call it's "serious" episodes, which makes it seem even more out of place.

Art - 8. The art was nice, it really way. In fact, the art was one of the best things about the show. Again though the art was stolen much from the zombies and directed more towards over beautifying fan service shots. Regardless of what it was used for though, HSOD looked the part.

Sound - 7. The voice acting was fair, though the dialogue seemed a bit out of place at times. The musical placement was nice at times, and i didn't have anything against the opening theme. I did, however, find the ending theme a bit boring.

Character - 6. Lets be honest here folks, we know coming in that a lot of character development isn't going to happen, because it's a zombie anime. That being said, Saeko is actually quite the interesting little sadist. Other than her however, we have the strong male lead, the annoying female lead that falls all over him even though she was supposedly in love with his best friend not a week ago, the spoiled rich girl, the nerd who loves the rich girl even though she obviously doesn't return the feelings, and the big breasted nurse. Not an all star cast, but diverse enough to be a horror, slash and stab crew.

Enjoyment - 8. What can i say? despite all of it's inadequacies, HSOD is a fun, bloody zombie romp. And I like me some zombie stuff. I enjoyed watching the show despite it's many glaring flaws, even if i was taken back a bit at times by how annoying the lack of focus on the actual plot was.

Overall - 7.


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Highschool of the Dead is a show that knows a very, very base demographic and knows exactly how to pander to it. It aims to please simple-minded, uniformly male teenagers with base level action and lots and lots of large, jiggling breasts. Highschool of the Dead has quickly entered into the ranks of shows extremely popular, not for being well-written or emotive, but simply for being a barrel of big, dumb fun.

The problem is... it's not very good at it.

As the name would suggest, Highschool of the Dead involves a highschool and dead things. More specifically, the series begins in a highschool and revolves around a bunch of highschool students, who happen to have walked into a George A. Romero film. In other words, they're surrounded by undead, bloodthirsty corpses... zombies. From here, the plot is about as simple as can be. The cast has to try and not die.

So all in all, it really speaks volumes that Highschool of the Dead manages to fuck up such a simple task, for a wide variety of reasons. But let's start with the most glaringly obvious one... the fanservice. OK, so considering the demographic the show is aiming for, it's hardly surprising that HotD uses a lot of fanservice. But Highschool of the Dead crosses the line of what an acceptable amount of fanservice would be repeatedly. Any scene that was otherwise good had an irritating tendency to shove some schoolgirl's underwear into the camera. And don't even get me started on the infamous "Boob Matrix" scene.

Of course, no matter how much fanservice is in a show, it would not destroy an otherwise good show. So let's get to the next reason HotD is an incredibly poor anime - the characters.

Let's summarize the cast very quickly. The everyman, the ditz, the needy girl, the bitch, the action chick, and the nerd. Not one of these characters has any more depth than that. I have literally told you everything you need to know about the characters in the space of one sentence. Takashi is completely unremarkable, Shizuka is dopey and annoying, Rei is irritatingly helpless and inconsistent in her character, and Saya (probably the worst member of the cast) is a self-righteous bitch who has no consideration for anybody else and considers the rest of the cast below her. The only passable members of the cast are Kouta Hirano (named and designed after the creator of Hellsing, a MUCH better take on the same style), who manages to make his military obsessions at least entertaining, and Saeko, who manages to not be annoying.

The worst thing about Highschool of the Dead, though, is that for a show that tries to be simple and fun... it's very boring.

All in all, a survival horror really needs you to care about whether the characters live or die to work. At first, after a seemingly significant character is killed off, it seems quite possible that major characters will be killed off, and that the series will be a struggle to survive. And yet, after that, not one character we care about dies. It becomes quite clear that the entire cast is in no real danger, due to having that strange immunity from danger that being a main character grants you. This means that we are simply stuck watching these unlikeable characters do things we don't care about. It would have at least been passable if the action had been well-directed, but it really isn't. There are no fight scenes that really stick out (barring the aforementioned Boob Matrix, which sticks out for all the wrong reasons). The action is mediocre at best. All of this leaves it up to a plot that really doesn't exist.

So what does this leave us with? A show that really doesn't have any positive points at all, really. It's watchable, I'll give it that much, and the first episode was quite good. But it really doesn't follow through on any of the potential it has. The themes in this show have been done before many times, and almost always better.

Final Words: Just watch a George A. Romero film instead. Seriously.

Animation/Graphics: 4/10
Story/Plot: 3/10
Music/Background: 6/10
Characters: 2/10

Overall: 3/10

For Fans Of: Hellsing, Elfen Lied. read more

Potential. The biggest understatement this year in anime. 2010 has been witness to many series that have had great concepts and seemingly bright futures. That being said, many of these shows haven't gone beyond this. Instead, they leave you unfulfilled and let some of your questions go unanswered. I like to think that this is the result of the 12 episode TV time brackets given to shows. I feel as though because of this, many series just don't feel complete. Often times, the endings are rushed, pacing is off, or quality of episodes is inconsistent. Moreover, I've seen the use of tasteless fanservice implemented on more than one occasion. I suppose the question you might be asking is "Does Highschool of the Dead fall into this stereotype?" Sadly, yes it does. Thankfully, the other aspects of the show are good enough to cover for it to some degree.

While the story isn't anything unheard of to most, it is a generally uncommon concept in the anime realm. I honestly can't remember the last zombie related anime I've seen and despite the title of the show being somewhat misleading; it really is a show about the dead. I say somewhat misleading because the vast majority of the episodes in this show take place outside of a high school. One could argue that the title should be "High School Students of the Dead" but even that might not best represent the series. But enough about the name. The story itself is actually engaging at times. It touches upon issues such as social disorder, government inefficiency, and emotional discord. These of course are not primary focuses of the series but they add a sense of realism to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The bulk of the story lies within a group of high school students trying to survive a zombie outbreak which for the most part, is enjoyable to watch.

Art for this series will meet most people's standards. The animation is crisp and flows well. Pleasing character designs help contrast the darker, grimmer surroundings. Fight scenes were enjoyable and were almost the anime adaptations of killing zombies in "Call of Duty". The one thing I do have to complain about is the fanservice. Many other reviewers have talked about their disapproval of it and I for one must agree. I'm not someone who hates ecchi. I watch harem animes from time to time and I think fanservice coupled with comedy does at times work. However, the problem in this case, in my opinion, is that a lot of the fanservice in this series simply feels misplaced. Boob jiggles and panty shots don't fit the mood of a serious life or death survival situation. Just as you're getting immersed in the political ramifications of a zombie outbreak in a highly densely populated city, a pair of breasts come flying across the screen removing the show's natural fluency. This is one of those series that didn't need to try to appeal to the male libido. It could have easily waltzed along with a serious tone and romance or politics in the place of breasts. I don't know if the animators thought people watching this show would be more perverted, or if they just felt harem was the way to go but it isn't effective here. It doesn't ruin the series, but it's a co-starring factor in keeping this series from being truly memorable.

Sound for the series is decent but nothing remarkable. I don't have any complaints here but I'm not going to put any of the BGM tracks on my IPod. Character voices matched the characters themselves and the opening theme music was a befitting mood-setter for the episodes.

Characters overall were well done. The main group of individuals you meet all have personalities but aren't so stereotypical that they don't have out-of-character moments every once in a while. Each character is distinctive in both looks and mannerisms and I didn't find any of the main characters other than the female doctor (basically the helpless pair of breasts) particularly annoying. Other than the blatant sexual nature of some episodes, I enjoyed watching how the group would react in an ever changing environment.

My personal enjoyment of this show was quite mixed. On the one hand, you had an exciting story, fun characters, and great animation in both fight scenes and character design. On the other hand, you had an incomplete story and clear abuse of fanservice. While the fanservice is a problem, the incomplete ending is the real problem. I mean by the last episode, the world's governments are in a state of utter crisis and it prioritizes the story of a small group of high school students. What happened to the rest of the world? Aren’t they just about ready to go to nuclear war with each other? I’d be more worried about that than a couple of high school kid’s parents. I think this series needs another season, preferably one without so much gratuitous fanservice and a bit more exploration into how both the government and the high school students plan to survive in the long-term.


Overall, I think Highschool of the Dead is a great series that is hurt by its incompleteness and overbearing efforts to try to appeal to an ecchi-oriented demographic. It's still a good show, but it's another case of an anime not reaching its full potential.
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I'll say this once, this show is filled with fan service, so if you can't stand that, stay away from this show. There is a reason it's rated R+; even so I found it very enjoyable.

Story - 6
The story was fair enough at least with the premises we have, which I would break down to zombies, high school students and boobs.

The plot is fairly simple, and it's a good thing they kept it that way.
Don't get me wrong here, we are talking about a horror show with zombies in the main seat.
That's why you don't really need a good plot, what you really need is a good load of bullets, and lots of good actions scenes, and in this case a shitload of fan service.

Breaking it down, the story is fair enough for this type of show, so I'll give it a 6.

Art - 8
The artwork was overall very good, if I have to put my finger on something, it would be the unattractive hair they put on Rei and Saya. Besides that the art was top notch.

Sound - 10
Note that I've watched the show only with the English dub.
The sound is some of the best I've ever heard in an anime. The voice acting was very good. And the background music fit perfectly.

Talking about music, the OP is one of my all time favorites, however I didn't enjoy the ED as much.

Character - 6
The characters in this show were fair enough, they were mostly nice and enjoyable, but that way to ditzy nurse Shizuka got on my nerves.
If you're looking for character development you won't find much of that here, while I did notice some development throughout the show, it's nothing major.
Aside of that I really enjoyed the personality they gave to Kouta, with him around, the show never became boring. I also enjoyed Saeko and Takashi, and I unfortunately couldn't really enjoy the others as much.

Enjoyment - 9
I really enjoyed HOTD, and I've watched it multiple times afterwards. I don't really have much to say here, but they always kept me interested, and I'm still hoping for more, as this is one of my favorite shows ever.

Overall - 8
This is a show I would recommend to any zombie lovers out there I know, especially if they have some history with anime.
They did make mistakes, but I don't really blame them, in this case I think it's pretty much about the prioritizing that was given to the different aspects of the show. read more

~:Story:~
The story is the cliche zombie survival story that i'm sure you're all accustom too. The main cast escapes the school and tries to find other survivors while going place to place to survive and find out how to stop the zombie apocalypse. There's nothing original about the story as expected, but it's a zombie survival story so that can't be complained about too much, I guess.... There's no real plot development besides showing how the zombie outbreak is affecting society and the main cast moving from place to place, there's no answers at all. Other than there being no story development, another flaw is the constant fan-service. Fan-service is fine I suppose, but H.O.T.D ruins every possible intense or emotional scene by shoving tits or panties in your face
and goes to ridiculous extremes with the fan-service. The plot and characters try to take itself seriously but all the fan-service doesn't let it.

1.5/10

~:Characters:~
Another big problem with this anime is the characters, they're all boring and shallow. I can summarize the main cast in one sentence" The perfect guy, the airhead, the needy girl, the tsundere, the action girl, the loli, the nerd." there's hardly anything more to them than that.

Something that helps make scenes intense or emotional is actually caring what happens to the characters, it's hard to care about such shallow pitiful characters already, but the show neglects it's own chance at intensity by giving the main cast what is essentially main character immunity. None of the main cast die or are seriously injured during the show and it becomes easily apparent that they will never be in any real harm, thus there is very rarely an intense scene and when there would be as I stated before it is ruined by fan-service every time.

1/10

~:Animation & Art:~
Now for something good to say about H.O.T.D, the animation and artwork is great and the action scenes are fine but not great due to them shoving as much fan-service as possible in them. They did a great job animating it and with the artwork regardless though, there isn't much to say beyond that but the animation is easily the best part of the anime.

8/10

~:Music/Soundtrack/Voices:~
The music in H.O.T.D is good, above average definitely but not amazing. This anime definitely had a big budget as it has great animation and a different ending theme at every episode. I kind of prefer having 1 ending theme, lets you grow to like a song and shows consistency. I don't really see why they needed to slap a different ending theme at the end of each episode, none of them are bad but none of them really caught my attention though, probably because I only got to hear each one once. The opening theme is probably the high point in the music, but the OST is fine too. Nothing to complain about. The voice acting is standard, nothing too great but it wasn't bad either. Not much more to say on it.

8/10


~:Personal thoughts & Judgement:~
If it weren't for the great animation and music I would give this the lowest score possible, it's pretty much an abomination and only good for it's music...and fapping I guess. It's a shame that that budget had to go towards this monstrosity though, could have been put to much better use quality-wise. This show is however a cash cow and thus getting a season two, which makes me lose hope for anime fans. H.O.T.D was clearly targeted at horny teenagers and I guess they responded well, just goes to show that people will watch any piece of crap as long as it has action and tits. I didn't find the show entertaining because of my reasoning in this review but I see why people would find it entertaining, namely the target audience (I am in the target audience, but I guess I have higher standards than most of them.). Entertaining and good have far different meanings though...

3/10 read more

HoTD is one of those anime which fanservices are proven far more annoying than any arousing. Naked female zombies, girls' panties being reveal as they are eaten, and female zombies in one of those 'fetish costume'(eg.nurse) did not turn me on in the slightest bit(and I'm a straight guy with average hormone level) and is rather highly disturbing. The mangaka's demand on how to 'put in as many jiggly boobs and panties as much as possible' sounds sick, and yeah he still make lots of money from it.

One thing I dislike of any zombie fiction is how the story is carried out, it simply bring out way too much questions, so a group of 5-7 average people with minimum battle expierence can handle infinite zombies coming at them? If that is true then why are the well-trained soldiers get munched on routinely despite having all the advantages in the world(except number) given to them? Why did the zombies that can't even run and would be killed with the slightest tap to the head manage to take over the world in the first place? Let alone doing that in TWO DAYS

The characters:
- Takashi, doesn't really have any reason to be the leader, but as the protagonist he would be assigned so anyway, and again he's one of those protagonist who get all(almost in this case) the girls without any apparent reason.
- Rei, despite how many fans have loathed her for bitching unendingly, I find her decent as how she act is the most natural reaction any real girl would in that situation. Don't deny it even if you're male you would bitch like that too, so unless your boyfriend/girlfriend was munched by zombie before I hope no one bring up an arguement on this. I'm not saying everyone would do it, but as the survival of most of you and your loved ones are never really tested, I prefer you to not skip to conclusions that you won't, believe me, 1 week before this mess happened Rei wouldn't believe she would bitch like that either.
- Saeko, on the other hand, may be liked by many but not by me, as she is one of the most unnatural characters in the series(wearing only apron to fight zombies? what kind of logic was she using? oh of course its fanservice again)
- Saya is simply too self-righteous and annoying, her intellegence demonstrated by observation and planning skills didn't meet up with her self-claimed 'genius' title at all
- Kouta, I don't have anything against him. I agree with everyone that he's the most bearable character in the cast, but as the fat-sidekick guy living with another guy with his harem, its simply sad he's cursed not to get any girl (*SPOILER* the girl who develop romantic feelings for him is soon killed before the party proceed to the following arc)
- Shizuka, despite being a teacher and the oldest member of the party, she demonstrate near to none maturity, leadership, or decision making skill. Her actions are like any other girls in the story, her logic being stripped bare from her for the purpose of fanservice, but with her case she would do it often time just to demonstrate how much her IQ is.
- Alice, her character is the most illogical of all the cast, she became a cheerful girl some few hours after her father's death. As far as I'm concerned no 7 years old girl with a healthy relationship with her family would do that, she would be scarred for life and become a total emo, but yes they have to make her the moe-source of the story so she has to be all happy with sugary rainbows in a zombified planet! yeah right
- Any minor and/or supporting characters joining the party are killed or dismissed(presumably killed) at the end of each arc, just to ensure the party go along by themselves and even with 3 hindrance characters, all will survive the apocalypse. Many minor characters are made to be specificly killed anyway but there are many that deserve to live, they just don't happen to do so.

The art of both the manga and anime is great, only if the author is less absent minded with his fantasies and write the story with a more sane and realistic setting it would have been good, which is unlikely for a man who work his part-time drawing ero-doujins despite having his own animated series. It is best that the author knows their dream anime is good, but suddenly turn bad when the dream became wet, moist is acceptable but the author should have been ashamed of the drenched mess he made, instead of being proud of it. read more

I'll make this short and sweet. Take out the fan service, and you've got a great anime. Take out Rei, too, for that matter - or put Hisashi back in. The creator of this series does hentai, too, just as a warning - there's not much nudity in this, except for the episode where the girls bathe, but that was in the manga too.

However, here's my take on this. Watch the anime before reading the manga. The anime skipped some chapters and rearranged them, as well. The manga is much better than the anime, and has less fan service - so if you don't like that stuff, skip the anime and head straight for the manga scanlation sites.

------ READ ON IF YOU WANT MORE ------
Story: For the most part, it's very good. I'd even say great. This is how a zombie apocalypse should be. Very rarely has an anime done it right - actually, I don't believe they've ever done it right. Only video games and live action movies have, but never an anime - at least, not from my experience. With that being said, it's nice to see an anime depict monsters how they really are. Zombies were meant to be mindless creatures who only cared for more bloodshot - the only thing that came close to that was the Rosario+Vampire version of a ghoul, but I'm not even going to talk about that here. However, not only do they depict the zombies, or "them" (as the anime calls them), how they should be depicted, they also manage to keep it more realistic by mentioning the government issues.

Art: The art's fantastic from my point of view. Sure, I'd rather not look at Kouta on my computer screen, but that's just me being a horny female whenever I see Takashi. That being said, they could have made the females a little more realistic. Not every 16-18 year old girl will have big breasts. Shizuka's appearance was understandable, what high school boy doesn't want a hot nurse? None, I tell you - unless he's gay, but that's not the point. I'm not surprised by the unrealistic depiction of women in this anime, since the creator works with hentai - but I'm slightly offended.

Sound: I only liked the OP, personally. The EDs were decent though. Won't comment on the character's voices, though, as I watched the dubbed version.

Character: Characters were pretty well-developed, with two exceptions. Shizuka is too much of a ditz. I know there's the whole "dumb blonde" stereotype, but this took it too far. She sees her clothes being as important as her like, and let me tell you, not even the dumbest blonde in real life would risk her life for a damned skirt. The other character that needed more work would be Rei - and I'm not just saying this because Saeko's my favorite female character. She's a little too dependent on Takashi. Then there's the fact that she yelled at him for killing her boyfriend when said boyfriend had been turned into a zombie. The beginning of the first episode gave me high hopes for her, but they died by the end of the same episode - and each new episode only made me dislike her more. I'll admit she has some good points to her, but most of those only show when she's alone with Takashi - and even then it's rare.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed this anime very much. It's definitely worth it if you haven't seen it already. However, it would have been better if it wasn't so short. There's more action in the last two episodes than there is in the first ten combined, in my opinion. They could have fit a lot more into this series if they hadn't been doing one episode per chapter - and they didn't even do them in the right order.

Overall, it's a great anime. I would definitely re-watch it. Despite the fan service, it's very enjoyable. Like I said earlier, it's a zombie apocalypse done right. read more

Highschool of the Dead is probably the most unintentionally hilarious anime ever created. Never before have I laughed at moments when I'm not supposed to as many times as I did here. After all, how can you possibly tell a serious story when you have so much out of place boob jiggling and panty flashes?

Okay, I'm exaggerating a little. The story is pretty typical for a zombie apocalypse, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, how creative can you get when it comes to a genre where trying to survive is the only thing you really can do? Sometimes, I like to pretend everything zombie related (The Walking Dead, Left 4 Dead, Lollipop Chainsaw, and of course this anime) take place in the same universe, so it does help stimulate my imagination.

In the end, the story is actually well done. It's realistic (I guess), and it does bring up issues like human nature, coming of age, and whether humans are more savage than the zombies.

The problem though, is that while all that is going on, we're also given a constant barrage of fanservice. Barely 5 minutes can go by without a close up of breasts unrealistically bouncing across the screen. It doesn't mesh well with the plot at all, and it ends up taking a LOT of drama away from the plot, to the point where it becomes comedic. In scenes where this is intentional (like the infamous episode 6), it's not really a bad thing. But there are a lot of times where you're supposed to be growing attached to these characters, when you're not, because your focus is solely on the boobs.

The characters are not too bad, for the most part at least. There's not really much in terms of development, but some of the character's personalities are kinda cool. I had a lot of fun watching Takagi's tsundere-ness, and Saeko's awesome sword skills. Kouta is another cool character. He develops from a whimpy nerdy kid to an extremely badass gun expert.

And then we have characters like Shizuka, who's sole purpose on this show is to uselessly flail her boobs around, or Alice, who just acts cute and adorable in order to appeal to the lolicons. Nothing they do is significant to the plot in anyway. They could have been absent and it probably would have changed nothing about it.

There are also a lot of scenes that don't involve ANY of the characters, and instead feature completely random people also caught in the apocalypse, kinda like The Grapes of Wrath, where every odd numbered chapter is a short story relating to the Great Depression. It gives off a haunting vibe that what's going on is affecting the anime's whole universe, not just the main cast. The one where a girl shoves her best friend at the zombies in order to get away was particularly impactful. However the problem they have is that there are simply too many of them, and they end up taking away time that could have been used to develop the characters more.

The animation is okay. It's fluid, but hardly the best there is. The artwork is pretty good too. The character designs are a little weird though, particularly for the girls. They're not really anatomically correct in the breast area, which look more like bowling balls glued on their chest than actual boobs. I understand if the creator wanted them to look appealing, but massive boobs doesn't instantly equal hotness.

Other than the mispronunciation of Alice's name (Arisu? Seriously?), the English dub is very well done. Takagi's voice is a personal favorite of mine. I was also surprised to see that Rei's voice actor, Jessica Boone, also does Chiyo from Azumanga Daioh. Needless to say, her vocal range is impressive, and she does a great job overall.

I enjoyed Highschool of the Dead. Not because it's a good anime, although it's hardly a bad anime either. I had a lot of fun watching it. You know those movies you go to see for the brainless, action-packed violence and funny actors? Highschool of the Dead is a lot like that. You pretty much watch it for the zombie-killing action and the hilariously out of place fanservice. They did genuinely try creating an interesting story, but it's because of those moments you end up enjoying that it ultimately suffers. read more

Zombies, actions and fanservice.
That′s what you′ll be witnessing through the whole series. Highschool of the Dead, is not just about Zombies. It′s also full of ecchiness, when I say 'ecchi' it means like that. Just remove another piece of cloth after the other, it won′t be just ecchi anymore. Still, Highschool of the Dead is also full of actions and fights, and that′s what brought the anime. Compared to other zombie-themed anime′s, Highschool of the Dead is a lot different, the thing that made Highschool of the Dead different, is it′s mix of suspense thrill and too much fanservice. Set aside the fanservice, it′ll be a great hit.

- A disease which was easily passed through the whole city, and the cause is unknown or where the disease came from. Students rushing towards the exit, fighting each other for freedom, betraying your friend for your own good. That′s how it works, when chaos and the beginning of the end is running towards you. Takashi Komuro, a normal highschool boy, who is living a normal life. But all of it changed with just one happening, that′s when the chaos began.

Highschool of the Dead or HOTD, was a really good watch from the start, the only problem here is the fanservice. To be honest, I′m not a fan of ecchi or fanservice. If it′s a comedy - ecchi anime, I might even look it up. But with just pure ecchiness, no. Seriously, there are zombies lurking around the whole city, and you even dare flirt around? Sigh. That′s one of the flaws in Highschool of Dead, if the creators of HOTD wants ecchi involved in it, they should′ve just made it 'light'.

And the girls really do have large breasts, they′re as big as a Watermelon, I′m not joking. Panchi - a lot of scenes where their underwears are showing; I don′t know if this is all about surviving between chaos and death with these revealing bodies, underwears showing etc. Still, the actions are great.

- HOTD′s art, is one of the 'good' parts in the whole series. The art is great. But, not knowing it, I think it still has some flaws, but those flaws are not that big of a deal. But considering the, panty-showing and other ecchi-related stuffs here at HOTD, that′s the things which I didn′t like. The art, moving on to the 'breasts', they shouldn′t have made it TOO BIG. By TOO BIG, I meant what I have previously said. The zombies are well-drawn, still, even though they are a zombie, there are still panty-shwoing method. Meh.

- Now on to the next part. We are now at the Sound Section.
I really liked the one and only opening song of HOTD. It′s a J - Rock, so naturally, it will be loud. About the ending songs, I rarely and barely listened to any of those ED′s, so I probably don′t have anything to review on those. Now we′re on the BG′s, then again, it′s kind of there′s no background musics. More like, the volume is too low. But there are still some few background sounds/musics which suits the scenes and mostly, the action scenes.

The sound effects (i.e guns, zombie moans etc.) I′d have to say, the sound effects were great, but not too great.

- Characters, yes characters. What would an anime be without the characters? So from here, we have different characters with different personalities and traits. But of course, not like some 'crazy' personality. That′s too much to handle. All the characters share the same goal - To stay alive, and to save their family. Some of the characters are nothing by annoyances; might as well not tell you. Nevertheless, some of the characters really knows how to fight.

- Highschool of the Dead is an 'enjoyable' anime, if you put in terms of fanservice and ecchiness; but when you put it in terms of actions and zombies. Well, it′s a really different matter. Depending on the watchers on which side they take. I am unsatisfied on the ending, many questions were still left unanswered, many things are still needed to be taken are of. And there′s one important question that needs to be answered: How are they going to stop the virus? read more

After seeing the long line of reviews on HotD, I thought I'd say my piece on here to what I think is a "good" show. Not a "very good" show, not even a "great" show, but a "good" show as it is. Of course this may change should the anime continue to be as entertaining as its been so far.

Having come with no expectations, seeing as that ecchi seemed to ooze the moment you watch opening credits(something people should have noticed when they started this series), I was pleased and amused to what it had delivered.

Story - 6
Before I start I believe it my duty to just add this trivial information for those asking about the plot since some say its lacking or that there are none. So what is plot?

Plot: In fiction, the story of a play, novel, romance, or poem, comprising a complication of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means. - ardictionary.com

Whilst a 'subtle' plot does play in the background of a world on the brink of a zombie outbreak, one must understand that it will never be its main focus as we're lead by a group of high school kids and their ditzy school nurse. This series is about survival in its most basic whilst the 'subtle' plot unfolds. If they were to ever find a cure in this show, I don't think it'd be by any of the casting members as they're too bothered with who likes who, and who has bigger breasts then the other. They may not be 'teh best' cast to date(mostly mediocre), but what's wrong with that? There once was a reality TV show who had crammed a group of nobodies into a house full of cameras just to see how they'd react and called it Big Brother. Look how big that became as an entertainment medium. HotD is in the same class, but better as it sticks your clichéd anime archetypes into a world infested with zombies.

Now for those not into reality shows are probably asking; why watch something if it doesn't even have a plot? We watch HotD for the 'over the top' reactions the cast get into when pitted with something that's out of the ordinary. I don't know about you, but that in itself is plot. The emotions and reactions executed are both hilarious and captivating at the same time, and to me is just pure entertainment!

And are we entertained? Definitely. HotD is so entertaining, it's fanbase now consist of zombie-lovers(who tally the frags), ecchi fanboys(who howl at every moment of cleavage), action enthusiasts(who now has Kouta & Saeko in their favorites) and even whiners(who pretend to dislike the show and yet has kept up to the current episode).

Art - 8
The art in HotD is crisp. From the well drawn scenery of a sunset backdrop that provides you that feeling of an impending doom, to the hack-and-slash execution of each action scene(which the zombie-lovers anticipate), one has to appreciate that HotD maybe a cut above the rest in terms of animation for this season. Coming from artists well known for their over-the-top ecchi(Daisuke & Shōji Satō), I hadn't expected anything less when I first seen their character design, and when I heard from HotD's anime director Tetsuro Araki(well known for DeathNote) stating in an interview :

Tell us what motivated you to make Highschool of the Dead?

"I’m aiming for something I would have bought myself in middle school. At present, this would definitely have been a “buy” for me. I can feel my schoolboy heart rejoicing even now."

...I knew this was going to be a series dedicated to a lot of fan-service for a particular audience.

Whilst some proportions may have been overdone, well hey...its anime. If you were expecting realism from a zombie-and-panty flick aimed at hormonal adolescents, then you're watching the wrong show .

Sound - 8
Sound is great with Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets "HotD" opening and the BGM sets the tone for every interaction within each episode, using rock as a theme. What's made me appreciate it even more is the director's choice of using Maon Kurosaki vocalize different lyrics for each episode which suits each ending very well. By the time the OST is out, I can guarantee it'd be number 1 for awhile in regards to downloads and music bought if your a fan of anime soundtracks.

Characters - 5
Unfortunately what sets my rating back as a whole is the casting for HotD as they are mediocre at best. Due to the pacing of the show, any form of development that they try to achieve are ruined and only comes off as cheesy, making you realize that this really is just a zombie-and-ecchi show. For those expecting romance to blossom, may be waiting a while as even I don't know where these characters are headed. One stage it may look like your average romance but by next episode it builds to a triangle and then a harem! Seeing this in the span of six episodes is just bad writing and I believe they should just stick to what they were already doing best: the zombie killing and ecchi!

To describe each member's characteristics as best as I could, would be to say that they are on a thin line between 2D/3D due to following their stereotypical archetype which I had mentioned earlier, whilst trying to adapt to the rules of the zombie genre. This can prove frustrating at times as each cast can act a little too superficial when facing a dilemma. Whether the creator had seen to these flaws as intentional is open for debate, but I guess overall it's growing on me and is leading me to continue just to see what they'd do next.

Enjoyment - 8
Well I won't lie to you, I have enjoyed the wild and bumpy ride that is High School of the Dead thus far(even with the ecchi) and now that we're over the half-way line(seeing as MAL & ANN has listed the series at 12), I can only hope that we aren't given a forced ending or have to wait too long for a second season so that the adaptation can provide more source.

Overall - 7
So as I had mentioned, HotD is a good show. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise that it's overrated especially if they've rated a 9 or 10 for shows like Sailor Moon or any other moé blob. Whilst it's not a Death Note or TTGL or whatever others are comparing it to at the moment, what it is is pure entertainment...and isn't that the sole reason we watch anime?

So my only advice to those new to this series is: if you view the show with no expectation then you'll definitely not be disappointed...and if you can't handle the ecchi then get out of the kitchen, that's reserved for Saeko in her 'Hadaka' apron.. read more

We've had this setup numerous times be it movies, video games, or even a good example of this, "The Walking Dead." I'm not going to waste my time comparing Highschool of the Dead to other media. That would be a waste of time and besides, we both know what you're here for. Is this anime worth watching? I have mixed feelings about it the same as most reviewers, but here is my opinion.

Story: 5
Like I said, the story isn't a hundred percent original. Still, It's quite rare to find it in anime. I actually think this is the only anime about a zombie outbreak. Still, the good thing about these kinds of stories, is that you're able to manipulate it into anything you want. Personally, I find a fast paced survival story to be the best route.Highschool of the Dead did do this, but the whole apocalyptic setting and turmoil of possibly being turned into a zombie snack seems to wear down as the plot continues. Was there action? Yes. Was there horrific flesh eating? Of course. Did it happen to anybody important? Anyone we even care about? No, no, and no. The main flaw within the plot is that nobody we truly get to know gets killed. Nobody in the main cast really gets that close to dying. For me, that made the story a little too predictable to have the characters always be in the right place at the right time while their poor background characters are doomed. I feel that the story would be better developed if the writers were willing to sacrifice their cast a little. It makes the whole outbreak a lot more terrifying to the viewer.

Art: 8
I admit, this anime did have some great artwork. All of the characters have unique and attractive appearances. The scenery is even better. One scene in particular are the characters in a truck, driving through the city. There are plenty of blossom petals and shots of the sky throughout and it does get you involved in the peaceful moment. The lighting is very well done as well and the animation surely is brilliant. Every bit of action is animated at its best through each splash of blood and sword swipe. The only downfall of course is the fanserivce. Fanserive is everywhere in this anime. No matter how well drawn, all the girls having humongous breasts and incredibly airy skirts that lift at the slightest movement takes away from whatever scenery there is. I'm going to go back on the truck scene again because this scene is pretty but is mildly ruined by the small panty shot given by Rei as she sits on the truck. There's also a very important scene between Takashi and Saeko that allows a bit of character development and is also intense. Still, this scene is riddled with fanserivce as well (one scene involving Takashi grabbing her breast for no reason at all).

Sound: 7
The VA isn't anything fantastic, but they at least did a good job on emotion. The script wasn't pure gold or anything with great dialogue (cough, cough, Bakemonogtari). At most, it was okay.Still, the opening and ending music is pretty good. The opening is fast pace and really gets you into the action-adventure mood of the series. My only complaint is that the guitars gets a little too crazy at times and just sounds messy. The ending themes aren't much but are appropriately calming and slow paced.

Character: 5
There's honestly not much to the characters. Most are dull at best, not having that much of a personality or even likeable traits. The best character was probably Kouta who was a gun specialist. He had a lot more personality and was a major help to the group. Takashi is the usual leader/sane man/chick magnet. He's not bad, just not that memorable. Rei is overall pretty whiny, usual ending up in bad situations when she needs to be saved, though she does prove herself sometimes. Saya is pretty annoying, being a complete smartass throughout most of the story and not really changing as it goes. Saeko was the most complex of the girl characters, having an interesting back story of intense sadism. She was at least the most helpful and used her abilities for the best. Alice, was average though I admit you kind of have to feel bad for her. Then there's characters like Shizuka who you wonder why hasn't died since the first episode. This woman is useless and pretty much a walking pair of breasts for the animators to obsessively exploit any time they can. Besides her occasional nursing and driving, nothing she does really effects the story.

Enjoyment: 8
If there's one thing Highschool of the Dead does, it entertains you. It doesn't leave you hanging very long on climatic moments and each action scene is interesting even if it is filled with bouncing breasts and panty shots.

Overall: 6
This anime isn't anything fantastic but it's not bad. It certainly will never be a must see or anything I'll consider re watching. It's a shame the sequel I skimmed over isn't even used to develop the plot. That entire OVA is to remind us once again of how big the girls boobs are...again. Highschool of the Dead is given a simple plot but instead of the willingness to sacrifice characters and delve deeper into the issue of how the zombie outbreak even started, they give you boobs, butts, and exploding heads. read more

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper." - T. S. Eliot

Underneath all the blatant fanservice and mindless bloodshed, Highschool of the Dead digs deep into the psychology of the human mind, showing us the lengths of cruelty and inhumanity us humans can go to in order to save ourselves. During times of chaos, the disgusting and selfish core of human beings are fully exposed for all to see, and the world which was once keen on peace and unity transforms into one of corruption and division. True, the story depicted in the anime is just that - a fictional story and nothing more - but it does serve as an entertaining way to foreshadow the possible state of the world if a similar international crisis were to happen. However, as this is an anime review, other factors besides the story must also be taken into account.

Art (7/10)
For the most part, the artwork was done quite well. The animation during action-packed scenes was fluid and easy to watch. The zombies were interesting to see given that the animators had no real model to base their work off of. The grotesque features and lethargic, swaying movements of the zombies replicated what I had in mind almost perfectly. On the other hand, I found the character designs to be a bit plain and unoriginal. If this only applied to the side characters, I wouldn't have minded, but when even the main characters look like characters you've seen before, then there's have a problem. In the end, the good cancels out with the bad, resulting in an average score.

Characters (6/10)
Honestly, I was disappointed with the characters. With the exception of a few scenes, I felt there wasn't enough character development. One would think that, in the situation the characters are in, that there'd be plenty of it. However, all that really happens throughout the series is killing, fleeing and resting. There isn't much dynamic dialogue to contribute to the development of the characters. One specific example of failed characterization is unsurprisingly the school nurse, Marikawa Shizuka. At times, I wondered whether she was there just for the sake of fanservice (as if there wasn't enough already). Despite all this, there were indeed some parts where character development was evident. As an example, when comparing Takashi's character from the start to the end, the changes he has gone through are a testament to his strong, composed and leader-like personality. Similarly, the other main characters have, to a slightly lesser degree, gone through the same.

Sound (6/10)
From the amusing groans of the zombies to the flurry of mediocre ending themes, the sounds and music used in this show were generally poor. However, the fast-paced opening was effective in pumping me up for each and every episode. Also, the seiyūs did a great job of voicing their characters. The emotions of the characters were conveyed well through their voices, making scenes more realistic and believable. Lastly, the BGM was not memorable; I can barely remember any of the tracks despite having just finished the series.

Story (8/10)
At first glance, Highschool of the Dead is another one of those typical, post-apocalyptic stories centered on the concept of "survival of the fittest". While this does end up being the case, there were also other messages placed throughout the 12 episodes. Furthermore, even though it'll most likely be useless information, the anime makes an indirect attempt at educating viewers about what might happen if the real world were to end up like what was shown. Personally, I liked how the story was about the journey of a group of high school students trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, even if there was some unrealism to it.

Overall (7/10)
For those who don't mind a repetitive show that features several large-breasted girls (and two regular, teenage boys) slaying zombies, then by all means, give Highschool of the Dead a try. This is one of those shows that don't require one to think too hard about what's going on (in fact, not thinking is probably the best choice as many things that push the limits of reality are shown). It's a surprisingly popular show, nonetheless, so even if you don't fit into the description of the target group, there may be a chance that you'll still like the show. As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having also read the manga, I'm glad that there's still material left for the possibility of the second season. To sum it all up, HOTD is essentially your run-of-the-mill fanservice anime. read more

We all are familiar with live-action zombie films like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and etc. Then we have really comical spin of the zombie apocalypse like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead.

And now, we have this, a zombie apocalypse anime that takes place in Japan in the perspective of highschool students. I'm pretty sure there were many older zombie apocalypse anime in the past that I may not heard about, but this one have gotten a lot of attention from many western viewers. Apparently, since The Anime Network was making the episodes available to free registered users for a limited amount of time during the holidays (which they usually have most of the episodes limited to paid subscribers), I took this opportunity to watch Highschool of the Dead legally.

The plot isn't really special from other zombie apocalypse films, a group of characters trying to find weaponry and food and survive against the zombies and not being eaten alive. The zombies are the "traditional" zombies, slow, cumbering, and mindless zombies in hordes that mostly react to sound and anyone biten by one will become a zombie within minutes. What makes this show unique is 1) it is an anime, 2) the setting takes place in Japan instead of either United States or a western country, and 3) the show's perspective is on a group of teenagers (along with an airhead nurse, a young girl, and a dog) instead of adults.

Keep in note that the setting in Japan is quite important for viewers, as laws regarding to the legal minimum driving age, drinking age, gun ownership, and criminal punishment regarding to "juvenile delinquency" is much different than United States, along with the Japanese society's respect on law and authority. So many of what Takashi and his friends are doing to survive against the zombies may be seen to be unacceptable by many Japanese people.

The characters aren't really that special or interesting, I could say the it best described to be a struggle between "gray" and "black" morality. The "gray" morality will be the main characters, Takashi and his friends. They are willing to steal, use guns, drive underage, and other things as means of surviving. In addition, they are willing to preform "mercy kills" on their fellow classmates and teachers who were bitten so they won't turn into zombies and hurt others (as well as killing those who are already zombified). The "black" morality are probably a bunch of yakuza and thugs who take advantage of the lawlessness for their own enjoyment, and a few survivors and conspiracy theorists who already knew something bad is going on, but choose to deny the full threat as well some who think the zombies aren't really dead but are brainwashed living beings. But the biggest winner of the "black" morality will be Kouchi Shidou, a cruel, egotistical teacher. The characters' personalities, hobbies, and backstories are important to how they handle the zombie apocalypse. For example, Shidou's egotistical personality and being a son of a corrupt politician makes him want to establish himself as a new leader in a new society as well as willing to sacrifice his students to the zombies for those who challenge him or those he deem to be "unworthy." Kohta being a gun otaku makes him a valuable member to the team when it comes to handling firearms, and Rei's relationship with Hisashi made Rei a bit bitter towards her childhood friend Takashi for the first few episodes when Takashi had to kill zombified Hisashi.

Oh yeah, the anime does have a few political undertones in it (such as Shidou's father being investigated for political corruption, a group of conspiracy theorists who think the zombie apocalypse is the work of the Japanese and U.S. government, world leaders starting a nuclear war instead of trying to solve the zombie apocalypse, and far-right ultranationalist groups like the uyoku dantai). It's probably really surprising that someone is willing to show uyoku dantai in anime, considering that the uyoku dantai are very controversial in Japan. Regardless, the uyoku dantai have some neutral depiction in Highschool of the Dead to avoid too much controversy. The politics in Highschool of the Dead didn't really hurt my enjoyment a lot, as many of zombie apocalypse films in the past (particularly the ones during the Cold War) are meant to give out a political message.

Despite a small unique twist of the zombie apocalypse into an anime, I wouldn't rate this any higher than 4 out of 5 stars in terms to enjoyability. This is mainly because Highschool of the Dead is largely filled with fanservice and moe which makes the show less scary as a zombie apocalypse is meant to be. In fact, fanservice and moe actually makes the zombie apocalypse a bit funnier and less serious. I personally don't mind a few fanservice and moe, but I think these two common anime tropes and zombie apocalypse theme should be separate from each other, as the purpose of zombie apocalypse films are meant to scare the crap out of you. On the other hand, the show is enjoyable due to the incredibly cool zombie killing scenes (and probably the ONLY enjoyable part of the show). But then again, the Japanese have their unusual styles of taste here.

The show does not have an English dub...yet. In a very surprising move, not only the Anime Network announced they were simulcasting the show, but Section23/Sentai Filmworks also announce a DVD license AND plans to have an English dub for the series right out of the bat. So dub fans, this is something of a good news for you guys, but don't expect Crispin Freeman to be in it, though. In regards to the voice acting, Highschool of the Dead does use a few veteran seiyuus like Junichi Suwabe, Marina Inoue, and Eri Kitamura as well as a few younger, newer, and recent ones like Ayana Taketatsu. The show also have it's own original soundtrack along with songs from other zombie movies (yes even the infamous "In The House - In A Heartbeat" from 28 Days Later is used in there as well).

In conclusion, if you are an anime and zombie fan looking for a zombie anime series with lots of blood and gore, I would recommend this show. Other than that, you probably may not a single bit of Highschool of the Dead to be scary due to fanservice and moe, but the zombie killing scenes are crazy awesome. read more

If you are looking for an anime with a complex storyline and intriguing characters, you need to keep looking. This anime is silly and uses any excuse to show breasts that bounce up and down with every foot step. However Highschool of the Dead is just a fun show to watch. There is no need to get to into the plot, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy. The action in HOTD is awesome, heaps of blood and some bad-ass weapons. If you are into zombies, you will love this anime.

Story:
The story in HOTD is nothing special. A group of highschool kids and a ditzy nurse with giant breasts trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. Although some relationships are formed, they are weak at best. Aside from that, it is still an enjoyable story that is enough to keep you watching. 7/10

Art:
The art in HOTD is done very well done. It has a dark art style that fits nicely with the theme of a zombie apocalypse. The characters look good and so do the zombies. 9/1

Sound:
I didn't even notice the sound in HOTD which means one thing. It fitted each seen well. That being said, the sound wasn't memorable and I don't think I remember one song from the show. The sound does well to assist the scenes overall feel. 8/10

Character:
The characters in HOTD were average apart from Kouta. Kouta is a nerdy gun maniac that you can't help but love whilst watching the show. 6/10

Enjoyment:
HOTD is not something you should expect a lot from. You just need to sit back and enjoy what it has to offer, which is guns, zombies, blood and titties. If you watch the show like this, you are guaranteed to enjoy it. 8/10

Overall:
HOTD is an enjoyable anime to watch. As long as you don't take it too seriously, I recommend you give this anime a go.
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Alright fellas, I just finished watching high school of the dead, and it was……AWESOME!!!

Highschool of the Dead, produced by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki, will appeal to those who love military action, ruthless killing, psychotic political activity, and (of course) hot babes who know how to fight. In addition, the creativity of the use of the female breasts is portrayed in a truly unique way as you will see when you get to episode 8 – The Dead Way Home.
I know you will really enjoy watching this anime. It will make you laugh (a lot), it'll pump up your adrenaline, and make you long for a harem similar to the protagonist’s (see episode 6 – In the Dead of the Night). Jejejeje, that’s right. Who doesn’t want to live in a world full of punching bags (zombies) and babes. I know I do ^_^.
Oh, and there is word from the director of a second season coming out, so be expecting it. Jejeje, well that will be all for this review. I hoped you like it, and if you have any cool animes you can recommend please (really) let me know. This is Combatfighter (friends call me Ezzy), and Power to the Otaku!!
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Highschool of the Dead is a good anime that could have been a great anime if only it had taken itself seriously. Its story is solid and well paced, the art is fantastic, and the characters are introduced in a way that makes you care about them although very little background is given (though considering this is only a 12 episode anime thats fine).


Story: 7

When I first started watching this anime, based on what I had heard I expected it to be an anime about breasts and panty shots that just so happened to have zombies in it. While the anime does have enough panty shots and breast bounces to embarrass Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball, the story is all about the zombies. The way the zombies are introduced to the plot is nice. Almost each episode has the characters trying to accomplish a goal in an effort to reach their long-term goal of surviving. The plot is well paced and fits nicely in the 12 episodes of the series. Another thing I appreciated about the story is there are not a lot of plot holes left by the end of the season and much of the story is plausible (once you accept the whole zombie premise).

The main problems with the story is that at times it tries to get deep and you start to take it seriously from a psychological perspective...and then just when you are about to be drawn into a scene the animators go "LOOK BOOBIES!", and the spell is broken.

I wont spoil much about the ending but really I thought they could have done more with some earlier plot points to make the ending more memorable. Suffice it to say the way the show ends basically demands that it get another season or at least an OAV.


Art: 8

One thing I was not expecting from this series was the spectacular art. Computer animation is used really well in some scenes, particularly actions sequences. The scenery is pretty too and really adds to the whole "end of the world" tone of the story. One last note on the art...some of the breast physics really do put Dead or Alive to shame. Not only are most of the camera angles centered around showing of the guns that the women are carrying and those that are attached to their chests, there are some moments where the boobs look like they have themselves achieved sentience and are fleeing the zombies all on their own.


Sound: 6

The sound on the other hand was mostly so-so. The voice actors all did a decent job (including Eri Kitamura as Saya Takagi...what is it with her and characters named Saya). The opening theme had some neat moments but I found myself skipping it most of the time. The music in the show itself was forgetable for the most part. I mean it worked with the action scenes and the sad scenes and what not but there wasnt any time in this anime where the music really blew me away.


Character: 7

Like all good zombie apocalypse stories, each character in High School of the Dead serves a function that aids in the survival of the group:

-We have the main hero who starts out all whiny and emo and then starts to grow and mature towards the end while the others look up to him.

-We have the main heroine who made a promise to the main character when they were kids and then (for reasons that are vaguley hinted at late in the series) ends up with another guy...oh and she can use a spear really well.

-We have the typical mostly stoic but mature and attractive katana wielding high school girl who acts like a big sister by cooking meals (wearing ONLY an apron) and cutting apart zombies when she isnt doing that.

-We have the bitchy genius girl who its hard to like at the beginning but who grows on you by the end of the anime. (as usual Eri Kitamura plays this type of character very well).

-We have the Otaku who is useless in the real world but in the Zombie Apocalypse he is an awesome weapons expert who turns a nail gun into a nail gun gun (no literally, he adds a stock and uses it like a rifle to kill zombies in the second episode).

-We have the little girl who shows up about halfway through the series and whose three primary functions are to look cute, bring ammo to the otaku, and keep the main characters from making out when she is on screen.

-And finally we have the designated driver, in this case a klutzy, borderline retarded nurse who does not actually have breasts but is in fact smuggling a pair of watermelon-sized marshmallows under her shirt. Her functions are to drive cars, provide comic relief, and to be in charge of fan-service...because if there is one thing this anime didnt have enough of, its fan service (heavy sarcasm).

Honestly I found myself liking most of the characters by the end and you do really hope that most of them live through the zombie apocalypse which is absolutely necessary for this kind of story. Also the characters are mostly believable too. Other than the Otaku, none of the other characters are able to pick up a gun and score headshots from the word go. In fact there is a lot of misses and fumbling around with ammo early on to remind you that these are high school kids. Of course then the katana-girl shows up and makes it look easy but I will forgive that because she looks so darn good while doing it.


Enjoyment: 7

This is a fun anime to watch. However its really disappointing that the anime fails to take itself seriously. There was SO much room for psychological twists or character growth but this was all filled in with breasts and panty shots. Now this being an anime, breasts and panty shots sort of go with the territory and to the anime's credit, these common shots do not distract from the story too much...MOST of the time.

One action sequence in particular I have taken to calling "booby-bullet time". The hero has to fire a sniper rifle off the breasts of another character (for a contrived reason that technically works but you know the only reason they did this was to cause the girl to moan every time the weapon fires). As the hero fires the rifle we get a slow motion sequence where the katana girl backflips to the side to dodge the shots. In slow motion we see her breasts flopping in mid flip and the bullet goes in front of the first breast and then behind the second one...that sequence all by itself kept this anime from getting a 8 rating. There is fan service and then there is not even trying.

Overall: 7

Like I said, this is a good anime and I recommend that you watch it if you like this kind of genre but it could have been a great anime if it had only taken itself seriously and toned down the boobies. read more